VIVIAN MAIER
Forever Perplexing, Mysterious + Amazing
The story of Vivian Maier is one that perplexes and astounds; a mysterious, yet classically unfortunate tale of the famed-too-late artist. A working class nanny by day, and a furtive photographer in all the moments found in between, it was only after Maier’s passing that the brilliance of her photography gained its due admiration and recognition. A natural photographic genius, Maier took to the streets to capture strangers, through thick and thin, enveloped in their various stages of life.
Born to an Austrian father and a French mother, Maier became independent at a young age, her father leaving early on for unknown reasons. Maier spent her early years with her mother, the two living between the French countryside and the bustling streets of New York City. At the age of 30, Maier settled in Chicago, beginning her lengthy career as a nanny. Here she sharpened her keen eye for photography, capturing those who crossed her path perchance on the city streets.
While the majority of Maier’s oeuvre is black and white, in the years between 1956 and 1986, she produced some lesser known color photographs. Within these images, washed over with the splash of modernity that comes with color, the subjects gain a new form of liveliness. An air of playfulness and vitality brings about a brighter facade of the photographer’s work. When not photographing a stranger, Maier took self portraits, many framed in shop windows, sets of mirrors, or in the form of a shadow cast across the sidewalk.
Seemingly secretive and unopportunistic by nature, it would appear that Maier’s inherent wish was to keep her work obscured from the eyes of others. She herself never laid eyes on a majority of the completed work, as she lost the financial ability to develop the images. Yet, the mastery of her work is indisputable. Maier captured the people she encountered in a form that was unassuming, and yet deeply interactive. Intrinsically sublime, it was almost as if each shot was orchestrated; a clandestine behind-the-scenes staging of a fine convergence of light and character.
Vivian Maier – Work in Color is now available for viewing at Foam in Amsterdam until September 13, 2020. Find more information here.
